A Perfect Christmas Tree
by rainydays42
Summary: Even on Christmas Eve the whole crew is in a bad mood, out sailing in the cold winter snow. When it becomes obvious how stressed the captain is, his loyal first mate will do you her best to bring just a little Christmas cheer.


**So, I wrote this for a Christmas themed short story contest on the fan-site Pirate101 Central. Bragging rights! I got first place! :D So anyway, enjoy the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own P101**

Roslyn shivered. The icy wind stung any exposed skin. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but dark clouds above and below them that blocked any stars from view. Skull Island was nothing but a distant black blur far behind the ship. She walked along the deck where a light layer of snow had formed. At the bow, the Foremast Jacks were grumbling and complaining amongst themselves so they didn't notice her walk by. She didn't care how much they complained about the cold as long as they did their job. Turning around, she started to head aft. A branch from a pine tree was held behind her back. It was small, only about two feet long, but it branched out in several areas. The end severed from the tree was still green inside, having been broken from its tree shortly before they had set sail.

Roslyn let out a gasp. She stepped on particularly slippery patch of snow and lost her footing for a moment. Flailing her arms, she managed to regain her balance in time before she fell. Regaining her composure, she straightened her posture, and she smoothed out her jacket, sneering at the patch of ice. "You! Waster!" she called to a nearby crew member. "Fetch a broom and try to get rid of some of this snow." The waster huffed in a most disrespectful way and disappeared below deck. Roslyn didn't blame the poor guy. No one wanted to be out sailing in the cold on Christmas Eve.

XXX

Closing the door to the captain's cabin behind her, Roslyn turned to see William hunched over a large map spread across his desk. His short sandy hair was slightly ruffled from taking off his hat, and his usual tan skin had turned pale from the lack of sunlight in the winter months. Roslyn doubted the worn-out blue jacket of his (that used to be the same color as his eyes but was now too faded) was enough to keep him warm. Times were tough. With the Armada around, it was getting harder for pirates to earn their fortune. What money they could plunder was needed for gunpowder, and of course the crew needed to be payed. Some luxuries, like a new coat, they just couldn't afford. There would be no gift giving this holiday season.

Roslyn brushed a strand of her short chocolate colored hair from her face. The cold had turned her nose and cheeks the same color as her red jacket, giving her fair skin a healthy glow. After hanging her hat on a peg on the wall and placing her sword next to William's weapon, she silently walked to a corner of the room and placed her branch in a plain clay vase that had a chip in the top. The strong scent of pine made her smile slightly. She straightened it the best she could, but it still leaned slightly to the left. William still hadn't seemed to take notice of her when she looked back over her shoulder at him. He was only seventeen, but his furrowed brow and the serious look on his face made him look considerably older. Roslyn knew how stressed he must be. It's no easy job being the captain of a ship, but he really did work too hard.

She walked over to where he stood and smoothed down a piece of his hair that was sticking up. He rubbed his forehead with a sigh, probably because of another migraine. "How is the crew managing?" he asked.

"No signs of mutiny just yet," she replied with a hint of playfulness. On a slightly more serious note, she added, "Sailing on Christmas Eve in this weather was really pushing it, though. Not the best way for a captain to gain his crew's favor."

William sighed again and sat down, leaning back in his chair. "Suppose you'll be leading said mutiny then," he replied to his first mate. Though he was joking, his tone was serious.

"Of course not. Then I would've gotten you a Christmas tree for nothing." A smile played across Roslyn's face as she watched William's confused expression. She let him look at her questioningly for a few moments before darting her eyes to her branch in the corner of the room. He noticed the branch for the first time and raised his eyebrows. Chuckling slightly, he seemed to forget about his stress for the moment.

"Well, we can't waste such a fine Christmas tree, so I'll just have to wait until after Christmas to do any mutiny worthy deeds," he said, still grinning.

"But it's not a Christmas tree yet. It still needs ornaments."

"Ornaments," he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm," Roslyn scanned the room. Her eyes fell on a navigation divider sitting on his desk. Grabbing it, she walked over to her "tree" and hung the divider on a small branch. "Ornaments," she repeated, displaying her tree proudly.

William laughed again. It was nice to hear him laugh. He was always so serious; it seemed he never had time to relax. "It needs more than one," he chuckled, tossing her a compass. She caught it, and carefully balanced it on a forked branch.

They both looked around the room for anything else that could be used as an ornament, but there wasn't much else. "Two's plenty," William said with a shrug.

"It at least needs something at the top," Roslyn pointed out. Biting her lower lip, she looked around the room again. After a few moments, she sighed in frustration and looked down at her boots, but no ideas came to her. William was watching her intently from his desk, a thoughtful look on his face.

"What about..?" he began, standing and making his way over to Roslyn. He stood behind her and untied a leather string that held her bangs in a small ponytail at the back of her head. He held it up for her to see, silently asking if it was okay to use. She smiled and nodded in response, hoping her blush was perceived as being red from the cold. He tied the leather string into a bow around the top branch. Then he stepped back with Roslyn to admire their work.

The branch was still leaning to the left, the compass looked like it could fall off at any moment, and the bow at the top was so floppy that the ends dangled and didn't look much like a bow at all.

"Not bad," Roslyn said. In her mind, it was the most beautiful Christmas tree ever.

"Not bad," William agreed, nodding his approval. For a few moments, they just stood there, admiring their little branch.

Suddenly, shouts of panic came from outside the door. The sound of feet running back and forth across the deck could be heard loud and clear from where they stood. It took Roslyn and William about a half a second to figure out what was going on. They had come across an enemy ship.

They both moved simultaneously, Roslyn running for the door and William retrieving their weapons. She swung the door open and took a step outside looking around frantically. "What's going on?" she called out in a demanding tone.

A crew member who was running by informed her breathlessly, "Armada!"

That was all she needed to know. Spinning around, she went back inside the cabin. William already had his hat on, and he tossed her her sword. She caught it and strapped the sheath to her belt. He was doing the same with his weapon.

"What is it?" William asked as he strapped his shield to his back. There was definite note of demanding urgency in his question, yet he was careful to not raise his voice, keeping his tone even. It was one of the things Roslyn admired about William, his ability to keep a level head in bad situations.

"Armada," she informed him, trying to mimic his even tone.

She could've sworn she saw a look of nervousness flash across his face, but he quickly banished it and regained his composure. "Let's go," he said urgently before running outside onto the deck. Quickly grabbing her hat and cramming it on her head, Roslyn headed outside.

She looked back and stole one last glance from their Christmas tree. Then, she closed the door behind her and joined the pursuing chaos.

**Terms:**

**Bow- the front of a ship/boat**

**Foremast Jacks- the most skilled and/or fit sailors on a ship who reside at the bow**

**Wasters- the inexperienced and/or unskilled sailors on a ship who reside at the waste (middle area of a ship)**

**Aft- the direction towards the stern, or back, of a ship**

**Navigation divider- a tool used to measure distances on a map**

**Review and I'll love you forever :3 **


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